A few milliseconds required weeks of repair.  In the middle of the night, the first week of June, I leaped out of bed at the KABOOM of a lightning strike.  The next morning we discovered that the electrical charge had passed through the regulator and damaged our desktop computer, the router and the phone/fax machine.

A phone call from a lawyer who has an office in the same building as Lynn called to say that a thief had entered the building the night before.  The lawyer wanted Lynn to come down to see if anything had been stolen from his office.  Answer:  YES.  The laptop computer that Lynn used for word processing was gone.

Two weeks ago the laptop we keep at home that Lynn uses when giving classes and conferences froze and died, requiring a new mother board.  “Hmmm,”  we comment,  “what is this all about?”

What else has the summer brought?

A precious new granddaughter born to Dan and Kelly.

A time to connect with a daughter, a sister, and a dear friend.

Our annual field council meeting.

A visit from Pastor Dale and Judi Cope of Stanchfield, MN.

Working with a team from Broomfield Community Church of Colorado.  In the mornings we worked on the painting and repairs of the building in which our church, Grace of God, meets.  In the afternoon we joined the team of New Jerusalem Baptist Church to offer a week of VBS.  Approximately 150 children heard the Good News!

AND THE SUMMER ISN´T OVER YET!

Lynn leaves tomorrow for a weekend in Monterrey, Mexico.  He will be presenting at the Metropolitan Hospital´s course:  Counseling in Crisis.   Please pray for safety in his travels.

On the 14th of August we will be graduating 12 students from the Marriage and Family Therapy Course Lynn has taught for the past 18 months.  Please pray that the students will multiply the ministry of counseling in their churches.

We continue to wait for the opportunity to present a work plan to the State of Jalisco Human services department.  Please pray that a date can be set and that their response will be positive, allowing evangelicals to offer programs of restoration, counseling,  and intervention.

Thank you for your continued involvement in the ministry in Guadalajara!

May is the hottest month of the year in Guadalajara with the temperatures averaging in the 90´s by the afternoon.  It is a dry heat, for which we are grateful.  It has also been a bit of a noisy month this year.  Besides the normal daily sounds of cowbells to announce the garbage truck, bicycle horns to let us know the ice cream man is on the street,  pan whistles to advertise the knife sharpener, car horns to announce the arrival of car poolers, we have also heard the dog down the block barking all night, the construction workers´ radio that plays 12 hours a day, and the delightful sound of birds welcoming the dawn.

Updates from the church “La Gracia de Dios”

Each year Mexico celebrates Children´s Day on April 30th.  As a church we decided to plan a party for Sunday, May 2nd.  There were 4 times as many children present as on a typical Sunday.  The planning committee did a great job.  The kids were offered lunch, then they could visit several activity booths including painting plaster figures, decorating cupcakes, playing games and interacting with a clown.  It was a positive, fun event.

We are excited that there are new people in every small group of the church.  The new attenders include a nurse who cared for a member of the church while she was in the hospital, an aunt and grandmother of a young man in our church, newly discovered relatives of one group leader, and a boyfriend of a young lady.  We are praising God.

Lynn was asked to officiate at the wedding of a young couple in the church.  They were married by a judge seven years ago.  Now, as new believers, they wanted to renew their vows in a church wedding.

It is that time of year again when we prepare to send two young people to Minnesota to participate in the ministry of Calvary Church of Roseville in the town of Pelican Rapids.   Please pray for Jose Antonio and Mercedes. They will be leaving on June 9th and returning to Guadalajara on the 27th.  Ask God to use them in a significant way.

Updates on the Marriage and Family Training Center

April 30th brought the end of our reporting year for Converge World Wide.  This past year Lynn had a total of 251 therapy sessions seeing 48 different clients.  He conducted 17 presentations on marriage and family issues in five local churches and the ministerial alliance.  He taught 12 monthly classes of the family therapy training course for pastors, covering 6 of the 7 modules.

Speaking of this course, it was begun in February of 2009 and there are just two sessions left.  Graduation will be held in August.  The students are busy finishing up the course requirements of teaching workshops on family issues and completing 100 hours of counseling.

Prayer requests:

Lynn has been invited to speak in July at the annual Pastoral Counseling Course offered by the Mexican-American Hospital in Guadalajara.

Lynn asks that you pray that he would have the “wisdom of Solomon” concerning a very difficult counseling situation.

Please pray for this young woman, as                      representative of the women that Barbara meets with.

Please pray for this Saturday´s meeting of the wives of pastors for the purpose of mentoring and encouragement.

Thank you for your caring for us through prayer.

Lynn and Barb

We have snow in Mexico!

This is the 14,240 ft Nevado de Colima, south of Guadalajara.

Impressive.

Since the beginning of the year we have been doing a bit of traveling within Mexico.  As field coordinator for the Central Mexico field, Lynn made trips to both Monterrey and Irapuato.  The trip to Monterrey was to accompany Eric and Janet Johnson as they explored ministry options and opportunities for their pending return to Mexico.  The trip to Irapuato was to visit CWW missionary Jami Strandberg and see the site for the planned new church plant and to meet her church planting team.

Two other trips took Lynn out of Guadalajara:  one to Cuernavaca to offer a conference to the leaders of a church plant and the second to the city of Colima where he participated in a class and was invited to preach at two separate worship services.

Barb joined Lynn on two of the trips.  We enjoyed breakfast under the active Volcano of Colima.

The building in which the Marriage and Family Training Center has its office was recently recognized as an historical landmark which is an honor.  One implication is that the rules for signs is more strict and, unfortunately, we are not able to use the sign we put up a couple of months ago.  What is required is much simpler.  Oh well!  We will comply with the city regulations because we believe it is proper to submit to the authorities and will be better for the Center in the long run.

Our prayer is that the number of contacts with couples and families will increase.  Currently we have from 8 to 12 sessions each week.  We would like to average 15 to 20 at this point in time.  We distributed 4,000 flyers in a couple of neighborhoods a few weeks ago and have only received 1 reply.  Please pray that the word will spread and we will be able to serve more people.

A new couple has joined our neighborhood Friday night study.  They are experiencing marriage difficulties and are coming believing that drawing near to God will impact their marriage relationship.  Good start!  Please pray for R and M.

Mil gracias (a thousand thanks) for your partnership in prayer.

December 2009

Each year I have looked for interesting examples of the celebration of this season.  This year, as I walked through the downtown area of Guadalajara, I came upon this gentleman cheerfully using his breakfast break to feed the birds.  What doesn´t show in the photo are the blinking lights on his Santa hat.  He reported that he does this every day,  not just during the holiday season.

Amidst the cheers of the congregation Gabriel was baptized.  We were invited to attend and join the celebration of his decision to “make a stand” for Christ.  Gabriel is the young man in the back, standing next to Lynn.  Thirteen years ago, Lynn led his father, Juan, to Christ.  Over the years this family has meant very much to us and we rejoice that they continue to follow Christ.

Saturday, November 28th, we cheered each other up at another “Knit Together” breakfast with the wives of pastors.  The theme for the breakfast was “SHOES”.  It was fun to come up with ice-breakers, decorations,  prayer reminders and a devotional that would follow the theme.  In the devotional we were encouraged to “take off” our shoes to spend time on “holy ground” with God.  Then, as the people of Israel dressed to eat the Passover Lamb, in a hurry and ready to leave, we were challenged to put on our shoes with the expectation that God would set us free from things that hold us back in our relationship with Him.  And finally, we are to “put on” our shoes, the readiness that comes with the gospel of peace, to impact our world for Christ.

And what could be more exciting that the glistening, cheer-filled face of a new believer?  A month ago, Livi came to work (she helps me clean once a week) with eyes filled with sadness.  Lynn and I spoke to her about hope in Christ and the gift of eternal life.  Please pray for her, her daughter Thania and her husband Gustavo.

We pray your lives will be filled with cheer this Christmas season:

Christ-centered days,

Home filled with joy,

Encouraging relationships,

Eats….but not too many,

Remembrances of a year filled with God´s faithfulness.

October 2009

Variety!

The last two months have been packed with activities of refreshing variety.

Lynn continues to teach his monthly class in counseling preparation.  There are 14 students representing a variety of backgrounds and professions.  A doctor, a dentist, a hospital chaplain, a psychologist, a secretary, a youth leader, several pastors and   homemakers, just to name a few.  We hope to increase the number of students to 20 by January 2010.

Vacationing with our kids was a blast!  We held our new grandbaby, camped near corn fields, ate Iowa sweet corn, watched a soccer game at Valparaiso University in Indiana, cheered on the Iowa Cubs baseball team, had a chuck wagon dinner and enjoyed a rodeo in South Dakota.

Believing that healthy missionary marriages result in healthier ministries, we as the Central Mexico Converge Worldwide team along with two other couples hosted a Marriage Enrichment Retreat the weekend of September 18 – 20 here in Guadalajara.  We invited John and Becky Leverington of Wycliffe/SIL to guide us.

From the comments on the evaluation sheets we received, we believe it was a success. One of our activities was to pray for each other:

On October 13^th we held an “international” strategic planning meeting in our dining room with our colleagues Jami Strandberg, Dan and MeLinda Nelson, and the soon-returning-to-Mexico, Eric and Janet Johnson via SKYPE.  We discussed the needs in Mexico, what we as a team can offer, and new personnel we would like to recruit.

For Lynn´s 60^th birthday, Laura and I conspired to bring him a birthday surprise….and we succeeded!  She traveled from Chicago to spend the weekend with us.

And so, we have had an eventful two months.  And the months ahead promise to be the same.

We are so grateful for your partnership in ministry.  Your faithful prayers make a huge difference.  As we look forward, would you join us in praying about the development of a new opportunity that would connect the Marriage and Family Training Center with an federal agency here similar to Health and Human Services .  This government agency is looking for the cooperation of evangelical churches to assist them in confronting family violence, abuse, divorce, and addictions.  This project is just in the infant stages and we need wisdom and insight to determine what our role will be.

Besides the counseling Lynn offers and the class he is teaching, he has received several invitations to speak:

• Hombres de Valor (Promise Keepers)
• a young professional´s small group
• a meeting of Pastors
• Sunday morning preaching.

Thank you for your concern.

In Christ´s love,

Lynn and Barb Conner

Converge Worldwide

Guadalajara, Mexico

In June we asked you to pray for the two young men who would be traveling from Guadalajara to Minnesota to join up with youth from Calvary Baptist, St. Paul as they ministered in Pelican Rapids.  Asael and Otoniel told me that they went with the goal of winning Hispanics to Christ.

They returned to Mexico overwhelmed with the experience.  They reported that their relationship with Christ deepened and that they had opportunities to share the Gospel with both teenagers and children and that many expressed their desire to accept Christ as their Savior. 

Thank you for praying.

Entretejidas, or the ministry to pastor´s wives, continues to grow.  Just last Friday we began the second phase of the ministry and had our first small group (LEAD Net) meeting.  We were pleased that 9 were in attendance.  Two of them had driven 2 hours to be there.  Women are hearing about it all over Mexico and expressing the desire to get something started in their area.

What could be a better backdrop for our annual Central Mexico Field Council meeting than the beautiful Mexico Pacific coast?  We enjoyed three days together, hearing reports, making plans for next year, praying for each other and making sure that we had some time for fun.

We continue to ask you to pray for wisdom for Lynn as he meets

with his clients.   Today at dinner I asked if he had a specific requests.  He responded:

“Ask our friends to pray…..

• for one couple whose marriage is plagued with fear and lack of trust,
• for a couple who reports that there has been considerable improvement, yet they have not yet responded to the message of Christ,
• for another couple, that they would seek God,
• for a husband that he would be willing to follow  Jesus’ model of servant leadership in his family,
• for a mom and her 13 year-old son who recently lost their husband and father.”

Thank you for joining us in prayer.  We will be making a trip to see our children and grandchildren in just a few weeks.

Gratefully,

Lynn and Barb

Life – post swine flu – is returning to normal.

The protective face masks have been put aside.  More frequent hand-washing is a new, firmly established habit.  Thankfully we are back to the traditional greeting of a handshake, or “air kiss” or hug.

These two young men, Asael and Otoniel, will be  spending the next 11 days in Minnesota participating in ministry with the youth from Calvary Baptist Church of Roseville.  Each year, Pastor Vonn Dornbush takes a group of young people to Pelican Rapids, MN to minister through kids clubs, sports camps, construction projects and visitation.  Please pray for the group.  Also, please pray for Asael and Otoniel.  Because of the swine flu, the school year here in Mexico has been extended.  They are missing the final weeks of classes and have attempted to make special arrangements with their professors.  Not all have been helpful and there exists the potential that they may need to “re-take” a class next semester.

Last weekend, the 5th and 6th of June, we held a training retreat for pastor´s wives.  This will be the beginning of small groups of women with the purpose of encouraging one another, praying for one another, and growing together in Christ.  These groups will be patterned after the Converge WorldWide LEADNet groups.

Here are some comments from three of the 12 pastor´s wives who attended:

“Understanding that I don´t have to have all the answers is such a relief!”

“After the coaching practice, I felt relieved and satisfied that I had come up with an attainable goal to begin to resolve my difficulty.”

“I am leaving different than I came.”

This retreat was a component of the ministry among pastor´s wives, Entretejidas, or Knit Together,  in which MeLinda Nelson and I have been working for the past year and a half.  We are thrilled to see the excitement of the women.  We are grateful for your prayer and financial investment in this significant ministry.  Our belief is that are we encourage the wives of pastors, not only will their marriages and families be healthier, but their ministries will also be more effective.

Paste this link into your browser to see a short video clip of the retreat:

Dear Friends,

My family had a little poem they would recite when the tulips and daffodils began to bloom:

Spring is sprung, the grass is riz,

I wonder where the flowers is.

The boid (bird) is on the wing,

Now ain´t that absoid.   I thought the wing was on the boid!

Thank you for praying for us.   We continue to be amazed at God´s faithfulness.

First,  a quick update on things we asked you to pray about previously:

• Lynn was able to obtain the material necessary to begin the course he is offering.  The orientation meeting was held on February 14th and the first class was held on March 14th.  Fifteen enthusiastic students signed up.
• A resolution was reached and the church La Gracia de Dios will now be able to use the building we were hoping to use for more frequent meetings.  We are encouraged that two young couples  are participating more and more in the leadership of the church.
• The breakfast for the Pastor´s wives was a success. (see photo).  We continue to connect with more women and anticipate seeing the ministry expand.

More recent events:

In February we took advantage of the dry, warm weather to have the house painted and a roof built over a section of the back patio.

The house was “abuzz” with activity as Juan and Juan Pablo worked long days, sometimes joining us for meals.

This small area will give us more storage space…necessary because the house doesn´t  have an attic, a basement or a garage!

Lynn and I attended a workshop in San Antonio, Texas, in March in order to become certified trainers in “Couple Communication”.  We hit a glitch, however.  Our new Mexican visa status means that according to the customs agents we are considered Mexican citizens, which we are not.  Being considered Mexican citizens means that we cannot import a U.S. car into Mexico.  So we found ourselves in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, with a car and a load of boxes.  I flew to Guadalajara and Lynn drove the VW Jetta to Iowa where our son Dan will sell it for us.

Anyone need a car?

On March 10th my (Barb´s) father passed away.  Because of Alzheimer´s Disease, we had been saying goodbye to him for a long time.  The funeral was held in Clinton, Iowa, on March 30th.  Part of honoring my father was celebrating family.  We were able to spend a day with our children and their children… and some of that time was in the pool.  Here is Grandpa with 3 of the 6 grandchildren.

Current concerns:

• Tonight Lynn is presenting a conference on Conflict Resolution as part of an outreach ministry for the new church plant of the Converge Worldwide missionaries, Dan and MeLinda Nelson.
• Lynn continues in the process of obtaining an operating license from the city for the Marriage and Family Training Center.  Please pray for open doors.
• April 11th will be the second class meeting for the course Lynn is offering.
• On April 25th we will be hosting another breakfast for Pastor´s Wives.  Barb is currently working on a newsletter.
• Please pray for the sale of the mission vehicle (VW Jetta) so that we can purchase a Mexican vehicle for use in the ministry here.  This is a big, elephant-sized request!

We appreciate your continued concern for the ministry God has given us.  Your participation in prayer is an important, very important part of the mix.  Thank you.

Do you look forward to the beginning of a new year?  I enjoy the time of reflection, considering the many blessings of the previous year and looking forward to what God will do in the year to come.  In our reflection on 2008, we were reminded of your faithful support of the ministry God has called us to in Guadalajara.  Thank you.  Your prayer, your interest in the ministry, your commitment financially encourage us to move into 2009 with hope and enthusiasm.

On January 25th, our church, La Gracia de Dios,  hosted a conference sponsored by Grace Walk Ministries of Latin America.   The church, along with guests from other churches heard testimonies and preaching by Mike Zenker and friends of Grace Walk Ministries of Canada.  We were challenged and encouraged to proclaim the message of grace.

Plans for La Gracia de Dios for the new year include bringing together the cells of the church more frequently for a variety of activities, including in-depth doctrinal teaching.    We thought we had the location worked out when things got bogged down.  Please pray for a resolution between two Christian groups so that the location can be freed up for ministry!

Barbara  will begin a  new book study with several women of the church.  We will be reading a book written by Paul Young entitled “Kid CEO” (in Spanish: “Niño Dominante”).  The author discusses the difficulties that result in a family where children rule.  She is anticipating lively interaction between the women.

Through the Marriage and Family Training Center, Lynn will be offering a course to pastors and church leaders beginning in February.   The title of the course is  “Family Counselors” and will cover themes such as: Theological Basis for Marriage and Family, The Family in Today´s World, The Life Cycle of the Family, Marriage and Family Communication, The Bible, Church, Sexuality and Family.  Upon completion of the 18 month course, the participants will receive credit from EIRENE International and the University of the Americas in San Antonio.  Please pray for the logistics of obtaining the materials for the course, for 20 students,  and for Lynn´s preparation of the course work.

Because of the confidential nature of Lynn´s work, we do not have the freedom to share openly with you concerning the people he is seeing.  May I just say that in the past couple of weeks he has been encouraged by seeing some major steps taken by some of his counselees.  Please remember him in prayer as he seeks God´s direction and wisdom in helping people who have come to him looking for positive change in their relationships.

Saturday, January  31st, MeLinda Nelson and Barb will be hosting the 4th breakfast for Wives of Pastors.  Our desire is to encourage them in their significant role in ministry.  We hope to give them an opportunity to share honestly, to be accepted openly and loved extravagantly.  Please join us praying that we can meet our goal.

Early in the month we welcomed Jami Strandberg (Converge Worldwide missionary to Mexico, currently on home assignment) and Tim Nash (Converge Worldwide missionary in Tecate, Mexico).  We enjoyed time together as a team.